The Timetable
by aspiringTechGuy1617
Summary: Only three days after the end of the Reach Invasion, a mysterious figure from Bart Allen's past/the world's future appears, as life in the fast lane accelerates for him and the rest of the Team. Now Bart faces a choice of loyalty as well as what time is right to move on. March 30th update important notice... please read
1. Chapter 1

_Hello, and welcome to my big break into Young Justice fan fiction! As the first Saturday in a while without my Young Justice fix, I'm going through some mildly major withdrawl. I did about a month's worth of research for a Season 3 fan fiction series after I learned of the show's cancellation, but didn't follow through after the finale trashed my meticulously planned plot. So instead of jumping on the S3 fan fic bandwagon, I'm going to do a series of stories that take place after YJ: Invasion's finale rather than tackle a whole 20-26 episode season._

_Quick side note before I get started with the story, this is only my second fan fiction writing ever and the first time was a bit of a disaster… Any friendly advice on writing and how I can be more clear or better formatted would be appreciated. I also welcome negative feedback as well since that'll allow me to improve better than patronizing, haha!_

_But, without further ado, here is chapter one of part 1 of 2 of The Timetable_

* * *

It has been three days since the end of the invasion. Both the Justice League and the Team have returned to a somewhat predictable order of operation. The Watchtower seemed eerily still as only a handful of Team members stand gathered in the mission hall.

Superboy, Beast Boy, and Miss Martian are still away on Mars helping B'arzz O'oomm with a small but concerning White Martian uprising. Both Beta and Gamma squads completed their directives assigned by Aqualad just a few days earlier and had reconvened to assign new missions. Rosters were set and the new Beta squad dispatched. Now, Aqualad stood before the remains of Gamma in the hall.

"Our investigation on Savage's plans for the War World are now temporarily on hold. The League of Shadows has reemerged in a small village on a Tibetan mountainside and is making no effort of hiding their presence." Aqualad began. "They have concentrated their forces which seem to grow by the day. They are enforcing something of martial law on its civilians."

"Eh, excuse me?" Virgil Hawkins blurted out with arm raised.

"DUDE! Where's your respect?" La'gaan, also known as Lagoon Boy, vehemently growled to the newbie. Virgil, who took on the name Static, had only been an official member of the group for three days. Lagoon Boy's patience had apparently run its course due to Virgil's many (perceived) slip ups as a new recruit. "Kaldur was just giving us vital information about our mission to the-"

"That's enough, La'gaan." Aqualad calmly replied. "I welcome questions during the briefings as they tend to prevent mistakes in the field." Lagoon Boy scowled and looked sideways at the slouching freshman recruit to his right and fumed. 'They let these new guys get away with anything these days'.

"Well, Ra's al Ghul is dead right? And wasn't he like, their leader? Shouldn't they be scatterin' and weak without someone to assume command over them or somethin'?" Static cautiously continued.

"It appears that Ra's had a secret protégée by the name of Shiva. She has risen to command the ranks of the League's ninjas. As of right now, there is no telling what her plans are which is part of our mission today. We will attempt to infiltrate the village and gather as much information as we can regarding the League's plans for the village and, more importantly, what drew them there in the first place."

"Will it just be us then? The four of us against the entire League of Shadows?" Lagoon Boy asked sourly. He was referring to himself, Static, Tigress, and Aqualad who were currently gathered in the room.

Tigress and Bart (now known as the new Kid Flash) exchanged places with Tim and Cassie after completion of the two squads' missions. Tim, Cassie, Mal, and Karen were now on their way to Rhelasia to keep the LexCorp troops stationed there in check. After General Tseng stepped down from being UN Secretary General and returned to Rhelasia, once peaceful conditions between the North and South subdivisions of the nation were stirring up again. LexCorp had a number of troops sent with Tseng to "ensure that things did not fall into conflict again" but recent conditions seemed to contradict that.

The four on the new Beta squad were teased continuously for going on a "double date" mission as Tim and Wonder Girl had recently gotten together. Hiding blushes and smiles, they slipped off to the hangar where a newly commissioned Javelin ship was waiting for them. Technicians were in the bay now preparing one for Gamma squad's mission.

"No, Blue Beetle and Imp- *gah* sorry, Kid Flash, will be joining us. However, Bart asked for some time to prepare personally before we move out," Aqualad said.

* * *

In the aquacultural wing of the Watchtower, Bart Allen stood solemnly under the hologram of the previous Kid Flash- Wally West. His first cousin once removed was killed in action during the final stage of the Reach invasion. Barry Allen, his grandfather and member of the Justice League known as Flash was distraught. He blamed himself for Wally's demise and was currently taking some time off from the League to settle himself.

Bart also felt as if he had a hand in Wally's fall but there was nothing left to do but honor his memory by assuming the mantle of Kid Flash. His best friend, Jaime Reyes, also known as Blue Beetle stood beside him.

"It's tough ese." Jaime said sadly. "No one can expect you to just move on after something like that. I'm sorry it had to be this way."

"Nothing to be sorry about. Those Reach bullies did what they did but you were kind of sucked into all of this without a say for yourself. I'm just glad we beat 'em so I don't have to go back to such a moded future." Bart said with a forced smile. He hadn't really thought about what kind of future he had helped create by going back in time. He was proud of the fact that he had saved his grandfather's life **and** managed to avert disaster at the hands of a Reach-implanted meta gene experiment named Neutron. But the shine of the achievement was tarnished by the recent passing of his other favorite speedster.

"Heh, try telling the public that! They still think I'm some kind of puppet that tried to enslave them all! I mean, I kind of was, but not because I wanted to! It's going to take a long time to win back their trust. Doesn't help that this Godfrey guy keeps calling me a menace and the Justice League a fraud. That's not helping anyone's situation right now." Blue Beetle lamented.

Bart chuckled. "That guy could use a whole bottle of chill pills for sure! But we have bigger things to worry about right now."

Suddenly, a voice came over the loudspeaker: "RECOGNIZED: RE-GEH-BLR-FL-… ERROR! ERROR! UNAUTHORIZED ZETA BEAM OPERATION OVERRIDE! ERROR CODE 908-4128-…"

Alarms blared and red lights flashed. Aqualad and the rest of Gamma squad tensed and all shot glances at the zeta tube apparatus behind them. A small glow in one of the doorways grew into a bright light as a loud explosion sounded followed by a sucking noise resembling the whoosh of wind through a tunnel. The light was near blinding now and the sound of the alarms was drowned out. This was certainly unlike any zeta beam transmission they had every witnessed before.

Back in the aquacultural center, the holograms of the deceased heroes began to flicker. Bart and Jaime looked with terrified faces at the trembling windows of the Watchtower. The super reinforced glass was supposedly impossible to break by even the greatest of forces but they weren't mean to rumble in this way either! Jaime suited up into full Blue Beetle armor with a mere thought and Bart pulled his goggled down over his eyes. Whatever was going on, the rest of Gamma would need them.

The zeta doorway buckled then settled. The light depleted. All shaking and sucking stopped. The power stayed off for a couple of seconds but returned. Aqualad and the team looked at each other then immediately to the zeta doorway. A figure was standing inside holding a rectangular object. Shadows veiled the figure's appearance and only afforded a silhouette.

Aqualad and his three teammates readied themselves for a fight- weapons drawn and eyes narrowed. Aqualad straightened up and stepped forward.

"Who are you? What do you want, stranger?" Aqualad said in an authoritative voice.

"You are Kaldur'ahm, leader of the 'Young Justice' Team, correct?" came a gruff but young sounding voice.

"How do you know of us, traveler? State your name and affiliation," Aqualad persisted.

"Never mind that, where is Bart Allen?" the voice retorted. Aggression was becoming evident as if the stranger was losing his patience.

"Either surrender your identity or we will have no choice but to attack." Aqualad said through narrowed eyes. Tigress, Static, and Lagoon Boy advanced to his side.

"I choose, attack, " said the stranger as a swarm of small black spheres flew from his hands.-

_Well, there's your opening! Hope you enjoyed. In case you didn't realize, I'm hoping to stay as true to the canon of the show as possible but some very, very, VERY minor creative liberties may be taken. But since I'm a big DC buff and know quite a bit about the characters involved, I'll stay as accurate to the lore as physically possible._

_The continuation of this story will depend on the feedback I get. Not whether it's good, but rather that I get some. I only want to write this if people are willing to read it. So any feedback, even negative, will help me immensely as I continue with this fiction. However, I'd prefer if plot suggestions be kept to a minimum as I've already planned a backbone for this story and sequels that lie ahead. Right now, I have four stories planned including this one and its second part. Changing something plotwise would put the later installments in jeopardy. But anything about writing, style, format, etc is appreciated. Thanks again!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Well! Reactions have been good so I guess I'll continue on with this. Like I said, this is a two part story. I'm not sure how many chapters this first part will be mainly because I haven't written that far, haha! But at the moment, the plan is to upload this chapter right now and chapter 3 later on tonight. But before I get ahead of myself, let me thank you all for your support and hope you enjoy the rest of this story!_

* * *

*HUFF* *HUFF*

A middle aged man in civilian clothes was sprinting through the deteriorating halls of the STAR Labs headquarters. It was once the pinnacle of human innovation in science and technology. But the Reach invasion nearly 40 years ago stopped it right in its tracks.

The alien bugs seemed really friendly at first, the man remembered. They shook hands with the secretary general of the UN and contributed their scientific advancements to help solve problems such as hunger and disease on Earth. At least, that's what the public knew.

To a chosen few such as the man himself, he saw a different, uglier, more terrifying side to these seemingly benevolent invaders: they were here to enslave the populace. The man's name was Nathaniel but he was later known to the world as the villain Neutron. He was kidnapped along with others his age and experimented on by the Reach. They were obsessed with this theorized genetic marker in some organisms that they called "the meta gene" which granted abilities to the possessor when placed under great distress. These were known as superpowers to the common man as the Earth had no shortage of superpowered beings. But the Reach believed that this ability could be extracted and placed into others who didn't possess one naturally. That is what gave Neutron his devastating powers.

He was placed under control and sent to rampage through a Midwestern United States city called Central City. There, he successfully destroyed the entire city and its beloved hero along with it – the Scarlet Speedster. The Flash.

Naturally, the Justice League came after him and threw him in solitary at Belle Reve. He spent the majority of the invasion locked away and nearly forgotten in his cell. But after the Reach completely took control, he was released and employed by the aliens to do their bidding.

With most of the League dead or controlled, the world seemed to Reach its bleakest point. But Neutron hated himself and the Reach for what happened and wished with everything he had to undo the damage he brought about.

His chance came when an old nemesis contacted him with an idea for a project, one that could literally reverse the events of history. Time travel.

He jumped at the opportunity and helped carry it through. Then, when the time came to see the plan off and bid it farewell, he volunteered to be present with the boy that they would send to do the deed – Bart Allen. And at first, it appeared that he had done it!

"That kid is so **CRASH**!" Nathaniel exclaimed in delight when he realized his Belle Reve constraints were gone as well as his battle scars. The disaster had apparently been averted. But something was wrong… the timestream should changed altogether all at once. Yet, the world was still a bed of rubble and debris.

Now under a new level of distress, Nathaniel ran to the one place he knew he could find an answer to this issue. The one _man_ who would know what to do.

* * *

Smoke billowed into the entire mission hall. None of Gamma squad could see their attacker or each other. All began coughing as the smoke filled their lungs.

"Stay… focused team *cough* Stick… together, " Aqualad managed to say between wheezes.

The stranger's silhouette was less visible but still able to be seen as he lunged to the side. Whoever he was, he could move _fast_. Not quite speedster or Superman fast, but faster than most people Kaldur'ahm knew. He materialized his water weapons and looked around to catch a glimpse of the shadow again. A cry erupted from beside him. Lagoon Boy beefed up into his enhanced mode and frantically looked left and right. He squinted and saw the shadow crouching down just feet away from him through the smoke. He lowered his shoulders and charged, tackling the target to the ground. However, the scream that resulted was a lot more feminine than he anticipated.

"Ooooh sor- " THWACK

"Watch it, freak, " Tigress hissed as she kicked him off of her. La'gaan understood that she was devastated after losing the love of her life in battle just days before, but he noticed that she had become more agitated and impatient that normal. Especially with teammates.

'Everyone copes differently, ' La'gaan thought to himself, 'but she sure seems to like taking it out on us more than the bad guys.'

Static cornered the REAL target and let loose a stream of electricity into the figure's torso. Oddly, the target just folded his arms, tucked his head into them and… took it. Like he was taking a shower. Virgil's eyes widened as he increased the voltage to seemingly no effect on this mystery attacker. Not knowing what else to do, he just stopped and stared at the guy. Suddenly, the attacker thrust both arms forward sending a wave of energy feedback into Virgil's face. He was knocked back a ways into La'gaan who was still recovering from being kicked in the shin.

Tigress came flying in from above and unleashed two karate chops followed by a roundhouse kick. The target blocked all threw then grabbed her ankle pulling her in. He slapped some kind of patch over her mouth that numbed her entire face. She fell to her knees, throwing herself this way and that in desperate attempt to get it off but the more she pulled, the tighter it became. And the more tingly it seemed to get as well which numbed her more and more until she finally keeled over and passed out.

The figure now stood opposite of Aqualad – still concealed in smoke and unable to be seen clearly. Aqualad had water swords drawn but for now stood glaring at the stranger.

"You do not know what you are doing, mysterious one. This is no ordinary headquarters, " Aqualad warned in a stern voice.

"I know exactly what I'm doing and I'm where I need to be. Your team's attack has only delayed me and is wearing my patience to its limit. Tell me where is Bart Allen."

"Peek-a-boo." Bart came racing through a doorway directly behind the stranger and did a somersault over him. On the way down, he rattled the target's head by smacking his face from either side back and forth at superspeed. Disoriented, the target stumbled backwards only to be caught by a flying Blue Beetle that carried him into the air above the dissipating smoke cloud and smacked into the ceiling. Aqualad and Bart looked up just in time to see the target coming down on top of Aqualad. Thinking quickly, Kaldur materialized a water shield in one hand and a hammer in the other. Catching the stranger with the shield, he bashed him across the room with one blow from the hammer. The target fell and rolled down some steps into another corner of the hall. Just now, the heroes noticed that the alarms were still blaring. Blue Beetle swooped down to the console and shut them off turning the Watchtower's status back to neutral.

The stranger now assumed a push up like position with his head hung towards the floor. Bart and Kaldur moved through the last of the smoke to get a look at their mystery attacker only to be greeted by a flying black canister.

"Got it, " Bart called out as he rushed forward in super speed to grab it. But the second he took hold of it, the vibration from moving at the speed he was triggered it to explode. A loud bang followed by a flash of white light. It was a flashbang and was powerful enough to temporarily blind everyone in room. Except the attacker of course. He calmly stood up and walked over to a downed Bart who was squirming on the ground from the effects of the flashbang.

"Got you, " said the voice of the stranger as he stooped down over his fallen opponent.

* * *

_Like I said, be sure to come back for chapter 3 later on tonight! Thanks again!_


	3. Chapter 3

Rhelasia. Three days after the end of the Reach invasion.

Thin, gray clouds rolled past the moon above winding dirt road in the heart of the jungle. Military jeeps, tanks, and foot soldiers trudged along it… North Rhelasians on their way to reinforce the border with the South. Their peace treaty, signed five years ago, had been called off. General Tseng's time as secretary general during the Reach debacle reignited tensions between the two states. Perhaps the most concerning part was the presence of LexCorp personnel – not to help either. No one knew what they wanted with the Rhelasians but that was what Beta squad was there to find out.

Robin, Wonder Girl, Guardian, and Bumblebee sat perched in the ferns and bushes off to the side of the road. The convoy had been moving past for nearly 30 minutes now and was showing no signs of ending. It seemed like the entire army was being moved.

The four sat mainly in silence except for the occasional giggle or rustle of leaves from where the new couple lay. Bumblebee peeked sideways with a smirk.

"I swear you two haven't broken bodily contact since we got here."

Tim and Cassie sat cuddling in a low branch of a tree.

"Heh, if only the two turtledoves could have found a pear tree to perch in, " chuckled Mal who was squatting behind Karen.

"That's not how the song goes, dummy. It's the single partridge that gets the pear tree, " Karen grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"It's ok! I love turtledoves. They're such pretty birds!" said Cassie in her usual bubbly tone. Tim did a terrible job of hiding a smile to which Cassie grimaced and pulled out her communicator. "No, really! I have a picture right here!" She insisted as if he didn't believe her. She pulled up a search engine and picked an image.

"I'm not judging, just thought it was funny, " Karen said, "This mission couldn't get any more disappointing anyway. How many tanks do they need to patrol a border anyway? It's not like they're definitely going to fight a war or anything yet."

"Well, it's looking very possible right now, " Tim said sullenly, "The North Rhelasians believe that if they can't trust Tseng to properly lead the United Nations and protect the world from total alien subjugation, they can't trust him as a neighbor any longer either."

"But those bugs had everyone fooled, " Mal pointed out. "Everyone was on their side for a little while."

"Not everyone!" Cassie said with furrowed brows and a smile. The rest shared nodded and smiled in agreement.

"Yeah, well. It doesn't really make sense to anyone. But we cannot interfere with a sovereign nation's decision. If they want to go to war, we are powerless to do anything about it." Tim explained.

The group sat in silence for a few more minutes. The caravan didn't make any changes in pace, but it felt as if they were moving slower and slower.

"So beautiful, I was thinking that maybe after this mission's over, we take a couple days off for a little vacation? Japan isn't far and you always said you wanted to see it, " Mal whispered to Karen.

"Mal, we can't just take a vacation! Aside from this, there's still the 'Vandal Savage running off to who knows where with the War World' and the League of Shadows running a terrorism spree. Not to mention the usual supervillain antics we'll undoubtedly have to deal with any day now."

"I know, but I was just thinking maybe-"

"I see the end of the convoy. It's time for us to move up, " Tim said suddenly. He let go of Cassie to reorganize his gear and get his grappling hook. Karen got up and pulled her mask over her face.

"We can talk about this later, " she said touching Mal's face. She was about to shrink down to bumblebee size when suddenly an alert sounded off on all of the communicators.

"A call? From Aqualad?" asked Cassie.

"No, this is something else. A distress alert… from the Watchtower…" Tim said with a trace of concern on his voice.

"Well what kind of distress? Is it under attack?" Karen asked worriedly.

"Not sure, but it can't be good. The Watchtower doesn't normally send out alerts… it's usually the people inside." Tim said with narrowed eyes.

"Isn't Gamma squad still there prepping for their mission? Maybe someone accidently tripped an alarm for some reason." Karen suggested.

The alert kept beeping. The last jeep had passed them.

"I'm going to call Aqualad, " said Tim. The others exchanged worried looks as Tim waited for an answer. "No response, " he said after a moment."Not even a connection tone. Something must be jamming us… or even him… This just doesn't make any sense."

The other heroes tried themselves to no avail. Something was most definitely wrong.

* * *

Aqualad was the first to come to. His team lay strewn across the floor, all unconscious. With great effort and pain, he turned his head to the other side of the room where the now fully visible stranger stood huddled over Bart. He had the same rectangular device in his hand that he did on his arrival.

Lagoon Boy awoke next and started to get up and move towards the stranger but Kaldur stopped him. He was still watching to see what the intruder was doing.

After a few moments, the stranger nodded his head in contentment and stood all the way up. He looked Kaldur and La'gaan's direction instantly and stood square to them. Now Kaldur jumped up and redrew his weapons.

"If you have harmed him in any way…" Aqualad began.

"If I _harmed_ him, my whole mission would be dead in the water, " the stranger said – still standing completely still.

Aqualad took a good look at the intruder now that his features could be distinguished. He was dressed in all black from head to toe. His suit was suit was skin tight and was made of cloth that almost looked metallic. Two opaque white lenses covered his eyes in a mask that covered his entire head **((A/N think Spiderman's mask))**. However, the most peculiar feature of the costume was the top of the mask. Two long "ears" protruded upward just like… BATMAN'S. _That's_ who this guy reminded Kaldur of- Batman. Sure enough, a red bat symbol stretched across the stranger's chest. This emblem was taller and sharper edged than the Batman Kaldur knew, but definitely a bat.

This 'new Batman' placed the device into his silver utility belt that wrapped around his waist. It was also identical to the Justice League's Batman – just a different color.

Bart rolled onto his back and slowly opened his eyes halfway. When the figure standing over him came into focus, his eyes shot open wide.

"**TERRY?**"

"You know this man?" Aqualad asked in surprise? His eyes darted from Bart to Terry and back to Bart.

"Terry what are you doing here? Hu-**HOW** are you here? What the heck is going on?" Bart babbled.

"It's a long and complex story that we can discuss later but right now I need you to come with me right now. We're on a timetable." Terry said sternly.

"Well, how've you been man? It's been forever! Or at least feels like it… Dude, we beat them! We stopped the Reach! The mode has been totally crashed!" Bart said with a grin.

"Oh really? Then what is that **THING **doing **IN THE WATCHTOWER**?" Terry said angrily, pointing to a recovering Blue Beetle. Jaime had his face in his hands but looked up as everyone was looking at him.

"Who me?"

"Dude, dude, relax! Jaime's cool. We took his scarab off mode and now he's with us. On our team!" Bart explained as he rushed in front of Terry to hold him back.

"Moded or not, I cannot believe you'd allow that insect to be inside of your most secure facility. May I remind you of what happened to the Batcave?" Terry spat.

"Terry, Jaime didn't do any of that. In our timeline, he was replaced with someone or something else that would do the Reach's bidding. But not Jaime! He actually saved us! Took down Black Beetle by himself!" Bart said hurriedly.

"I was there to witness this, " Aqualad added, "He has proven to be a most helpful ally against the Reach."

"I don't buy it and can't believe that you idiots do. Those bugs are not to be trusted under any circumstances and it could be the reason why the timeline didn't change."

"It what?" Bart asked in shock. He unconsciously grabbed Terry's suit and pulled him in.

"The timeline. It didn't change. You stopped Neutron all right but the world is still nothing but ash and dust." Terry said with narrowed eyes. His lenses adapted with his expression although the rest of his face was unreadable hidden under his mask.

"Tha- that's… impossible! It can't be! We beat them. We… won" Bart said slowly letting go and drooping.

"That's why I'm here to bring you back to our time so we can regroup and plan our next move." Terry said definitively. He turned and began heading for the zeta tubes.

"What, so that's **IT**?" Lagoon Boy shouted.

"Excuse me?" Terry said stopping and looking over his shoulder.

"La'gaan…" Aqualad started.

"He just marches in here, attacks us for no reason, insults us to our faces and now he's just gonna walk out? Neptune's beard! Who do you think you are?" Lagoon Boy shouted in rage.

"Terry, I can't go. I won't! My team needs me! I'm the last speedster they have. Well, besides grandpa and Jay Garrick but they're both taking a break and we need to do something out in Tibet. Plus, I've made a home for myself here. Something I don't have if I go back…" Bart said with a downcast look.

"This isn't up for debate Bart. We are not discussing this. Now either you come with me willingly or I'll take you by force." Terry said with severity. He extended a fist and a peculiar looking blaster rose from the back of his hand.

Bart seemed to instantly recognize what it was and took a step in recoil. Terry powered it up. The rest of the team rushed to his side (except for Artemis who was still furiously trying to get the patch off of her mouth).

"Terry, please."

"3…2…"

* * *

_For those of you who don't know him_

: / / dcanimated . wikia wiki/Batman_(Terry_McGinnis) _I expect the link will get f'ed up thanks to the 'no URL' rule but throw this into Google and you should find it._

_He's Terry McGinnis of the hit DCAU show 'Batman Beyond'. If you were a fan of the Justice League/JL Unlimited cartoons of the 2000's, he was featured in the two part episode "The Once and Future Thing" as well as the season 4 finale "Epilogue". The latter gives a good background to his origin so if you're interested, I'd highly recommend watching it. No prior knowledge of BB or JLU is required._

_Thank you for your continued support! Feedback is encouraged as always!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Surprise early upload! You'll see at the bottom how I've changed the sort of upload schedule. In any case, here's chapter 4._

* * *

"I won't resist anymore Terry. But I ask you as your **friend** to please hear me out, " Bart said quietly with a twist of desperation. The future Batman stood motionless and silently as if waiting for Bart to continue. "If it's really true and the mode didn't crash then that just means we haven't found the _real_ cause yet. If we go back now, all we'll be able to do is wonder or guess. But if we stay here n_ow_ just for a little longer we can find out what really destroyed the future and fix it without the added travel time! Plus, going in and out of a past time period could make things worse. Think about it Terry!"

The black-clad figure looked around the room at the scuffed floor and the beaten young heroes standing (and squirming on the ground in Artemis' case) before him. He looked to Bart then glared at Blue Beetle. Finally he looked at the blaster protruding from his hand and suddenly dropped his arm.

"What am I doing? That mean really **has** turned me into Batman, " Terry said sullenly. He looked up straight again. "You make a decent point Bart. All Mr. Wayne will do is reevaluate 40 years of history for another week while we have to sit piles of ashes. I'll stick around for a little while but if nothing turns up soon, we **have** to go back. I'm already putting the timetable in jeopardy by taking this little temporal detour , " he took one last look at Blue Beetle. "There's at least _one_ thing I'm sure I can keep from going wrong."

Jaime shifted his weight where he stood. This new Batman was making him very, very nervous. He clearly had something against him, but Jaime hadn't even known the guy for more than 10 minutes. It seems that making friends got harder after the Reach ruined his life.

"MMMMPPHHHHH! HMMM HMMMMM MRRRMMMMFFFFF!" Artemis shouted with the patch still stuck tight over her mouth. She had been writhing on the ground for the majority of the conversation in a frantic attempt to remove it.

"Oh… forgot about her." Terry said as he stepped over and knelt in front of her. He put his fingers up to the patch and released a light aerosol spray from them that loosened the patch and allowed it to fall off.

Suddenly, and without a word, Artemis threw an open hand slap that hit Terry square on the cheek. While her target was still in shock from the attack, Artemis rolled back halfway and kicked with both legs hitting Terry in the chest as he cradled his jaw. The new Batman flew backwards and landed on his back.

"Artemis!" Aqualad scolded but she wasn't holding back. Coming down on top of him, she repeatedly hit him with two night sticks she pulled from their holsters- seemingly getting more aggressive with each hit.

Bart raced to her side and pulled her back. "Whoa, hey Artemis chill out! He's not the enemy… any…more. He was just looking for me."

"You nearly suffocated me you scum! And you expect us to treat you like an ally? I don't think so." Artemis growled vehemently. The fire in her eyes could have burned an entire city block to the ground.

Terry sat up glaring at her from behind the mask. He readjusted the glove he used to apply the aerosol.

"He may not have made the best first impression, but if Bart trusts in him, I will as well. And as leader, I declare him an ally of this Team for the time being. Now if you all recall, we have a mission to be done. So let's get to it." Aqualad sternly said authoritatively.

* * *

The ex-villain Neutron continued his charge through the bowels of the old STAR Labs headquarters. For all he knew, the eggheads behind the whole plan didn't even know it hadn't worked. He _had_ to get to them fast!

A set of metal double-doors now stood in his way. He threw himself against them in an effort to pry them open rather than wait for the old electronic control to take its sweet time. What he wasn't counting on was them opening almost instantaneously allowing him to continue his momentum forward and become very acquainted with the linoleum floor.

"Nathan? Where's Bar-"

"BARBARA! Barbara, it didn't work!" Nathaniel immediately started as he rolled over onto his back. The voice that greeted him came from the middle aged woman who had opened the door from the other side. She still had full, red hair although a gray streak was creeping down the left side of her head. Thin glasses sat right under the bridge of her nose and wrinkles cradled the edges of her mouth. The woman was petite but had a commanding presence… even from her seat in a wheelchair.

"Yes Nathan, we know. Bruce and the scientists are already working on a contingency plan, bu-"

"It should have all crashed, Barbara! It should have all… gotten better… all at once…" Nathaniel said sadly as he hung his head.

"Listen to me Nathan, " Barbara Gordon said leaning forward in her wheelchair, "They are going ahead with Plan B as we speak. But wasting time fretting over a failure will not help us move forward. Now where is Bart? He should have returned shortly after leaving."

"He didn't come back! That's the second thing I needed to tell you guys. Oh man, something terrible happened to him I know it! Is it possible they were waiting for him?" Nathaniel said with eyes quivering from fear.

"It's impossible that they could have known. Something must have been faulty with the pod. It's behind us now, we just need to get moving on, " Barbara said turning her chair around and reopening the doors which had shut automatically. As she moved through them Nathaniel called out to her.

"Well, what's plan B then?"

"No fretting Nathan! Everything will be under control, " Barbara insisted without looking back.

Once again, Nathan dropped to his knees and stared mournfully at the ground.

* * *

"Bruce, do you know what's happening in the Watchtower?" Wonder Woman said into communicator with concern weighing her voice. She was on Themyscira visiting with her mother, Queen Hippolyta (present day). "I got an alert about an hour ago unlike anything I've seen before. Is everything ok?"

Batman sat in his chair in the Batcave doing some research work on the War World. He and seven of his teammates were away on Rimbor when the debacle went down on Earth. He needed to know everything that he could about this weapon to best prepare for what Vandal Savage may be planning to do with it.

"Yes." was his only reply as he sorted some papers on the desk below him. One monitor of the Batcomputer was looping footage of the Watchtower 'attack' only an hour before.

"Well, care to share what's going on then?" Wonder Woman said a bit impatiently.

"The Team encountered an intruder during their briefing for the Tibet mission. Apparently, they had multiple standoffs before being defeated by the stranger."

"That certainly doesn't sound ok… what's happening now? Why haven't you called any of us in to assist?"

"The Team has handled it and the intruder stood down. The Allen boy- Bart. He seemed to make a connection between this intruder and managed to talk him down, or so it appears."

"Well, where is he now? The intruder I mean, " Wonder Woman inquired.

"He appears to have left the Tower with the Team… presumably to _accompany_ them, " Batman said watching the footage where the Team moved out with the intruder in tow.

"I don't like the sound of this…" Wonder Woman said shifting her gaze.

"Neither do I which is why I'll gather a group of available Leaguers to be present at the Watchtower when this stranger returns. I need to meet him in person."

"Acceptable. Keep me posted on the situation. Wonder Woman out."

Batman sat back in his chair and pulled out a file on Bart Allen. He rewatched the footage where Bart seemed to talk the intruder down then move in as if they were old pals. Batman narrowed his eyes when he realized how little they really knew about this boy that seemed to just appear without warning or explanation. Maybe they were too lenient. Maybe this 'Bart' had more to tell them than they previously considered.

* * *

Aqualad and Tigress moved up to take cover behind some empty oil barrels. The Tibetan village was in shambles with trash and random debris strewn everywhere. The Javelin flight had gone smoothly enough… He made sure to keep Artemis at his side in the cockpit and separated from the mysterious newcomer. The two were not taking kindly to one another at all.

They had landed and navigated to the village. A bug in the Javelin's navigational technology had directed them to land further from the village than originally intended but the Team made the trip with relative ease. Aqualad gave them their directions as they went.

"We'll be approaching the village from the south. Virgil and Jaime, you'll move to the east and enter the village from there. Bart and La'gaan, you'll move to the west. Artemis and I will cut through the center to approach the Shadows directly. Do not attack on sight. We will need you at the ready in case we are discovered. Our objective here is to gather intel and topple any progress they've made with whatever their plans are but with minimal casualties. Is everything understood?"

"What about the new guy?" Lagoon Boy asked jerking a finger towards Terry.

"Since he is not an official member of this team, I cannot issue him orders. But I do request that you honor our objective and do not engage directly unless absolute necessary, Terry." Aqualad said turning to the boy. He nodded wordlessly. "Then he have our game plan. Let's move out."

Now Aqualad felt as if he had already made a mistake. There was little to no cover where he and Artemis had found themselves and the Shadows were just on the other side of their current shielding. The major members were all standing together apparently discussing something. Kaldur'ahm could not distinguish what they were saying, but he could see who was present: Professor Ojo, Hook, Black Spider, and the new addition Lady Shiva. They would certainly be in for quite a fight if forced into conflict.

Above, the east and western pairs had converged and now perched together under a balcony on one of the rooftops. Bart insisted that Terry join his group for infiltration which proved useful after Bart nearly ran himself off of a cliff. Terry's jet boots saved the day as he flew Bart back to the ledge. 'Same old Bart' Terry thought to himself 'hasn't changed a bit'.

Static sat shivering in his snow jacket even though he was huddled up underneath.

"You haven't even gotten a proper costume?" La'gaan sneered.

"Look who' talkin' swim trunks" Virgil shot back. The rest of the group frowned at La'gaans lack of covering.

"I'm Atlantean. I live at the bottom of the ocean. You know how cold it gets down there? A little solid water isn't going to send me crying to mommy unlike some of your surface kids."

"At least my only friends aren't shrimp and fish, " Terry said coolly.

"Ooh **BURN**! Up top Ter bear!" Bart exclaimed with hand raised. The rest of the group shushed him and pointed to the circle of magic enhanced ninjas only a few stories below them. Bart sheepishly grinned but kept his hand up in high five position. Terry just started at him in mild disbelief.

"Team. We need a distraction, " Aqualad said over the communicator. "There is no way for us to get Ojo alone with his entourage around him. Unfortunately, this will require direct confrontation. There is an open field to the left. Try to draw the fight there if you can. It'll pose less risk to the inhabitants of the village and leave Ojo isolated."

"I thought we were after that Shiva girl?" Virgil asked.

"She is of concern but not the primary one. Ojo is closest to Ra's himself who has undoubtedly been resurrected with the Lazarus Pit by now. He'll have the information we need. Good luck, Aqualad out."

* * *

_I'm sorry if these author comments are annoying so I'll try to keep them to a minimum in the future, but I have two important things I need to bring up._

_1) I'm modifying the upload schedule from every Saturday to whenever I have time. I'm up to my eyeballs in projects right now and forcing myself to write updates is eating away from time for that which I apologize for._

_2) I am looking for a beta reader for this and future stories. I'm noticing a lot of typos and weird wordings as well as things that may not be making sense as I write them the first time through so having someone else look over the chapters before they are posted would be super, super helpful. So any volunteers please leave a review or send me a PM so we can talk about it._

_As always, I thank you for reading and also I really want to hear some criticisms. It'll help me do a better job and improve my writing overall. So any negative feedback is welcome regardless of how mean it may sound! So don't be shy and I'll try to get another part up soon._


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